Adonis Stevenson Is First To Stop Tavoris Cloud

Adonis Stevenson proved himself to be more than a mere bomber, showing quite solid boxing skills in the HBO TV opener, which unfolded Saturday night from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Stevenson cut foe Tavoris Cloud's left eye early, and right eye in round seven. His straight left hands and lefts to the body had Cloud, a sturdy sort, buzzed a few times. After a round of eating, Cloud went back to his corner and his trainer assesses him, and pulled the plug. He didn't protest.

Adonis went 108-443 to 36-176 for Cloud, who has now lost two straight, after being schooled by Bernard Hopkins. This one wasn't a schooling, this one was more of an educated mugging.

After, Adonis told Max Kellerman said the plan was basic boxing. He said he was ready to box the distance or look to close the show. And next? Sergey Kovalev? Sergey needs to fight some ex champs, too, he said. "I'll let my promoter fix that," he said. He will watch the Jean Pascal-Lucian Bute with interest early next year, as well.

Before the first bell, ring emcee Michael Buffer asked for a ten count toll for the departed heavyweight standouts Ken Norton and Tommy Morrison.

The Haitian-born Adonis (21-1-1 with 18 KOs; living in Montreal), at 36, was 173.8 at the weigh in, and the 31-year-old Cloud was 174.6 on Friday. We heard in the leadup that Cloud (24-1 with 19 KOs; from Florida; ex IBF light heavy champ) said he's never really even been hurt in the ring, and wondered if Stevenson could be the difference maker there.

The late trainer-manager-analyst Emanuel Steward helmed Stevenson, the reigning WBC light heavy champ, and loved his athleticism, and explosivity. In the first, Adonis landed a couple stiff, straight lefts. Cloud spent some time leading, being the aggressor, at the start and the end of the round. His corner told him he wasn't busy enough after the round. In the second, Adonis came out moving, looking more confident, as Cloud followed him without much success. Cloud went down, but it was deemed a slip, near the end of the round. Adonis was boxing smartly.

In the third, Adonis boxed smartly. His trainer Sugar Hill wanted him to get nastier. In the fourth, Adonis came out fiery. A cut opened on Cloud's left eye from a left hand. A body shot sapped Cloud some, and Adonis was in full control. In the fifth, the fighters scuffled during a break and the ref warned them. Cloud looked better than before, maybe even enough to win the round, though I didn't think so.

In round six, lefts to the body by Adonis looked like they'd hurt on Thursday.

In round seven, Adonis buzzed Cloud and the Floridian's right eye was bleeding. Before the start of the eighth, Cloud's trainer said no mas. After looking at the left eye, and the way things had been going, Al Bonnani said that's it, no more.

Next up for Adonis will likely be a scrap against Brit Tony Bellew, who is rated No. 1 by the WBC. Bellew will be a heavy underdog in that one, I dare say...

Very impressive win for Stevenson. I thought this would be a close fight, maybe even a great fight but Adonis dominated the whole time. Stevenson's speed threw Cloud way off his game. Hand and foot speed. Cloud did not cut the ring off or get to the body. Stevenson did what he wanted when he wanted.

amayseng says:

[QUOTE=the Roast;37658]Very impressive win for Stevenson. I thought this would be a close fight, maybe even a great fight but Adonis dominated the whole time. Stevenson's speed threw Cloud way off his game. Hand and foot speed. Cloud did not cut the ring off or get to the body. Stevenson did what he wanted when he wanted.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like we have another legit top level fighter at lhw. Glad to hear it.

brownsugar says:

I noticed he stuttered when they brought up Kovalov....how long will he avoid him?.... But I give him credit for dismantling Cloud ...no easy task. But why does he close his eyes while throwing the left sometimes? Could it be the memory of Darnell Boone?

brownsugar says:

[QUOTE=amayseng;37669]Sounds like we have another legit top level fighter at lhw. Glad to hear it.[/QUOTE]

Cloud suffers from the slowest feet in the division....amazing how important it is to know how to move.

brownsugar says:

At the exact same moment Cloud was rescued by his corner ..... Saad Muhammad would have just began getting warmed up....( even if he suffered double the punishment)......is boxing becoming too non violent?

Hop says:

Very nice win for Stevenson, as many have said. We knew the power was there, but didn't know he could move that nicely in the ring. My only concern is his defense. Specifically, I felt that quite a few times, though Cloud never took advantage of it, Stevenson was actually open for direct shots either initially or in return. Instead Cloud seemed to mainly hold tight, having been stung early on. However, if Stevenson were to face a Kovalev I would expect a very different dynamic.

amayseng says:

[QUOTE=brownsugar;37697]Cloud suffers from the slowest feet in the division....amazing how important it is to know how to move.[/QUOTE]

I have said it for years my friend, footwork is as important as any boxing attribute.

hopkins footwork keeps him elite at this age, floyds footwork allows his perfect spacing, as well as

Wards, look how well andre's footwork befuddled Froch.

watch GGG's last 5 fights and watch how good his footwork is.

Pac's footwork would give floyd trouble IMHO.

teaser says:

Is this just another example of the B Hop jinx ? ...seem like whoever gets in the ring with Bernard win or lose suffers the executioners curse in following fights...maybe Pascal will be the exception....good showing from the superman to bust up cloud

brownsugar says:

[QUOTE=Hop;37699]Very nice win for Stevenson, as many have said. We knew the power was there, but didn't know he could move that nicely in the ring. My only concern is his defense. Specifically, I felt that quite a few times, though Cloud never took advantage of it, Stevenson was actually open for direct shots either initially or in return. Instead Cloud seemed to mainly hold tight, having been stung early on. However, if Stevenson were to face a Kovalev I would expect a very different dynamic.[/QUOTE]

Precisely.

He also closes his eyes in close when he's punching with an opponent. Having that equalizer allows him to get away with more. But a vet like Kovalev will take advantage.

the Roast says:

I did notice that Stevenson stammered a bit when Kovalev's name came up. Stevenson will cash in and fight the winner of Pascal-Bute first before thinking about Kovalev. Gotta get paid first and formost.

brownsugar says:

Nothing personal just business .....I can smell what the Roast is cooking.

Hop says:

[QUOTE=brownsugar;37718].....I can smell what the Roast is cooking.[/QUOTE]

I'd like to smell what your [I]avatar[/I] is cooking! Yum! Are you a bit of a chef, Brown Sug? I've gotten really into grilling.

Carmine Cas says:

I knew this would happen, Cloud was too slow and one dimensional. It was a perfect style for Stevenson, but this is no knock on the victory. Adonis notched a solid scalp on his resume good for him, now fight Kovalev!

Shoulder Roll Defense says:

There isn't much that I need to say about a natural Southpaw that has power in both hands and can box. Stevenson illustrated great footwork and defense against Cloud and appears to improving each fight. He will give any light heavyweight problems!